Movie review - "Up the Creek" (1984) ***

 Loved it as a kid, the three stars is generous but it's fun enough, helped by decent production values (Oregon location, rapids, bars, extras, a mini flood) and a classy support cast: James Sikking s in there, John Hillerman. Tim Matheson is full of handsome confident swagger that promised a stardom which never came; the bloke from Porky's seems a little lost, Stephen Furst is fat, the nerd is an alcoholic which is interesting. Jeff East is an ideal villain. Jennifer Runyon is very sweet as the love interest - she and her friends are very sexually aggressive and not punished. Blaine Novak's Coyote-style army villain entertains. Cheap Trick didn't like its theme song but I felt it was fun.

I'm not objective about this film but it's fun. One of Sam Arkoff's post AIP efforts.

Movie review - "It's a Bikini World" (1967) **1/2 (rewatching)

 Fun. Bright. Fantastic music. Tommy Kirk and Deborah Walley ideally cast. Others are too. Not enough story. Needed a few more subplots. Stephanie Rothman has nothing to be ashamed of.

Movie review - "Venus in Furs" (1969) **1/2

 Not a lot of story but plenty of style and sexiness. James Darren is obsessed with dead Maria Rohm. He also has an affair with Barbara McNair (black singer) and Klaus Kinski is in there. Enjoyed this.

Movie review - "The Undead" (1957) **** (re-watch)

 Oh the rating is too high but I love this film. It's ambitious, its spookiness, the quality of its script, the dialogue - Griffith said Corman cut out the iambic pentameter but there's a bit in there. Acting quality varies - Richard Garland slightly OTT, Pamela Duncan is okay but Alison Hayes is wonderful and Val Dufour a great slimy shrink plus Mel Welles has the time of his life as a gravedigger.

It throws in dancing girls, Satan, a little person (Billy Barty), witches.  The ending has emotional power with Duncan giving up her life.

Movie review - "Thunder Alley" (1967) **1/2 (re-watching)

 Solid car film. Maybe benefits from having Fabian rather than Frankie Avalon - he's more serious, gritty, chip on his shoulder. He's sleeping with Diane McBain but falls for Annette Funicello who has one of her better roles. She's still the girl but she drives, sings, fights of Warren Berlinger, has a lot of swagger, and there's a nice father-daughter relationship. The film could've done with a little more star power - John Ashley at least. But strong score, pretty good film.

Movie review - "Empire of the Ants" (1977) **

 Giant ant movie from the 1970s. Joan Collins shows some potential land buyers around, they're attacked by giant ants, they run to safety, but find the townsfolk are under thrall of the ants. I really liked this twist.

Interesting cast - Collins, Robert Lansing, Robert Pine (Chris' dad, the sarge from Chips).

It's not a very good movie but it's impossible to dislike.

Movie review - "Sergeant Deadhead" (1965) ** (rewatching)

 Some bright moments but the film never seems to make up its mind what the story is. There's a bumbling soldier who gets shot into space - fine - but then he has a big head and so they get in a look alike, which is a whole new movie, then the lookalike tries to avoid having sex with Deadhead's fiance. Then the lookalike disappear and they go to meet the president.

It's unsatifactory. Some songs are alright. The players try. Frankie Avalon gives his all. Deborah Walley is sweet. Why is John Ashley in this? Harvey Lembck. Donna Loren gets some lines. Bobbi Shaw is wasted. Buster Keaton gets  a joke. Eve Arden gets a song.

Movie review - "Fireball 500" (1966) ** (warning: spoilers) (re-watching)

 A transitionary film from beach party to stock cars - I've seen this a few times and now I'm used to it and it's more enjoyable. The acting is very good, Fabian helps make it more serious, the conflict between he and Avalon feels real, I like the moonshine stuff, Harvey Lembeck is excellent in a serious role.

I think it was a mistake to resolve "who caused the fatal accident" before the big final race. There should have been some sabotage - Fabian found out but the audience didn't and the baddies tried to kill him or something.  

An odd mishmash but endearing.

Movie review - "Beach Blanket Bingo" (1965) *** (re-watching)

 The last really strong AIP Beach Party movie - energetic, confident. Weird moments like that moody ballad Frankie Avalon sings and the Deborah Walley fake rape plot. Odd that John Ashley is Frankie's rival.

The romance between mermaid Sylvia Kristel and Jody McCrea (who is the lead as much as anyone) is charming because both. are dumb - but then he gets with Linda Evans? Confusing that both are blondes. Unsatisfactory.

Linda Evans gorgeous and sweet. The double act of Bobbi Shaw and Buster Keaton is funny. Fun silent era chase and climax. This was peak Mac Sennett period at AIP.

Don Rickles' night club act isn't funny. Paul Lynde is funny.

Movie review - "Ski Party" (1965) *** (rewatching)

 Gene Corman was brought in to produce this and he in turn brought a fresh infusion of talent - Alan Rafkin director, Robert Kaufman writer, Aaron Kincaid actor, Robert Q Lewis actor.

It doesn't quite work, a little bit too much of a rip off of Some Like It Hot, but full of energy, fun moments. Terrific music - Lesley Gore, James Brown, etc. Skiing on location (moving to the beach at the end is a jolt). Bobbi Shaw is very winning and likeable - more than Deborah Walley and Yvonne Craig to be honest. Annette Funicello is fun as a student kissing teacher - it's a shame she couldn't have come along.

Bright and fun.

Movie review - "Muscle Beach Party" (1964) ** (re-watching)

 Odd Beach Party movie - no Harvey Lembeck, lots of soulful philophising from Frankie Avalon who dreams of surfing forever, Luciana Paluzzi instantly falls for a bodybuilder then instantly falls for Avalon, which is unsatisfactory, then offers him a singing contract, and this offends the friend group because... why? He wants to be a pop star? And Avalon is offended because Paluzzi wants to pick up the tab because...? The film doesn't make sense.

The muscle boys are at least visually different, Don Rickles has fun, Candy Johnson dances, Donna Loren sings, Little Stevie Wonder sings, Dick Dale plays music and surfs, Peter Lorres does a cameo, Buddy Hackett is Paluzzi's helper, fun opening credits, some decent tunes. Avalon smokes after a night surf.

But it's too serious and gloomy.

Movie review - “The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini” (1966) ** (rewatching)

I’m glad the Beach Party series ended on this and not How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. This isn’t a good movie, not really, but it’s full of fun stuff. So was How to Stuff, but that film had a hollow core as there was no decent central romance. This one has, however tentatively, Tommy Kirk and Deborah Walley.

It also has a script heavily influenced by Pajama Party - like that this is a mash up, in this case beach party and haunted house stories. Patsy Kelly plays, basically, Else Lanchester, Aron Kincaid plays the nephew role essayed by Jody McCrea, Bobbi Shaw is back with Benny Rubin stepping in for Buster Keaton. Quinn O’Hara is fun as the short sighted femme fatale, constantly trying to seduce statues, Francis X Bushman plays an old butler, Basil Rathbone has a decent sized role as a villain, Piccola Pupa is this random singer stepping in for Donna Loren, Nancy Sinatra is the second female lead. Kirk and Kincaid spend a lot of time being spooked, Walley doesn’t have that much to do, Harvey Lembeck and co are on hand.

The device of Boris Karloff and Susan Hart was added after the original cut - it suits the jokey nature of the film. Bobby Fuller Four is in this.

The whole notion of a busload of teens travelling to a house and breaking out into impromptu dance numbers with a band playing a long is just so silly it’s very endearing.

As finales to series go, this was fine.

Movie review - "Pajama Party" (1964) *** (re watching)

 Fun dance numbers. Plot is silly. Anntte Funicello gets to dance. But her character falls in love very quickly - she's so flippant. Jody McCrea isn't in to her so she goes with Tommy Kirk but then he is attacked by Bobbi Shaw and she huffs, he says sorry, finds out she's a martian, and huffs again.

The veterans are very well used - Jesse White is fun as is Elsa Lanchester, it's great to see Buster Keaton yucking it up with Bobbi Shaw, Dororhy Lamour has a terrific number. The numbers are good except the dim love ballad with Funicello and Tommy Kirk.

Annette suits Frankie better but she and Kirk are fine and he's charming as usual. Teri Garr is a dancer - all those AIP starlets and the true star was there. Susan Hart gets a lot of screen time but she just shimmies. She struggles with her few lines. Donna Loren sings. They may as well have shown Avalon's face we know it's him. He's funny as is Don Rickles.

This is fun. A mash up of sci fi and beach party - the first mash ups. Goldfoot and Ghost in the Invisible Bikini were closer like that.

Movie review - "Dr Goldfood and the Bikini Machine" (1965) *** (rewatching)

 It doesn't hold up well but I'm giving it three stars because it's silly and fun and such a delight for AIP fans: whether it's James Nicholson writing the story as a vehicle for his soon to be wife Susan Hart, Susan Hart getting a lead role, the double act of Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman, the double act of Vincent Price and Jack Mullaley, the cameos from Deborah Walley, Harvey Lembeck, Annette Funicello.

The film just works. All the casting. It has an emotional core - Hickman and Avalon have a proper bromance. Also the scenes where Hart is tortured by Price make her likable.

No room for songs, cutting them was good ieda.

I watched The Weird World of Goldfoot afterwards - it just wasn't as good. Aaron Kincaid isn't as funny as Avalon. Tommy Kirk isn't as warm as Hickman, Harvey Lembeck isn't as good as Mullaney.

Movie review - "Beach Party" (1963) ***1/2 (re-watching)

 Kind of taken for granted but all the stuff is there -  the bright tone, the meta nature (Dorothy Malone telling Bob Cummings "AIP will buy the film rights", Vincent Price's cameo), the various subplots (Cummings studying kids, Frankie and Annette making each other jealous, bikers as a threat), colourful characters (Lembeck and his bikers, Morey Amsterdam's cafe owner, Jody McCrea's dumb friend, Eva Six's blonde bombshell, Dorothy Malone's sexy older woman, Cummings' anthropologist, Candy Johnson's dancing, John Ashleyh's more cynical friend). 

The tunes are very good - "Beach Party Tonight", "Don't Stop Now", "Surfin".

There is variety in the female roles - Funicello is a good girl, but there's also a man hungry Rhoda (who can't understand why Annette doesn't want to have sex with Frankie), the shimmying Candy Johnson, Eva Six, Dorothy Malone.

The musical numbers are done with tremendous verve.

Cummings was 53 (32 years older than Annette) but still looked good at the time - that would change within a year or so eg The Carpetbaggers.

Analysing John Ashley's role in this film - it's clear he's a kind of alpha in the group, suggesting Frankie dump Annette and also being the one not Frankie who entices Cummings on to a surf board (maybe this was to protect Frankie? Or Avalon may not have been available.)

The action screeches to a halt when Annette sings her ballad 'Treat Her Nicely'. But I liked how she was so protective of Cummings. (Also there's a moment where her character seems willing to sleep with Cummings, which is interesting. As is the implication that Frankie has slept with Eva). Because Funicello's character wants to be married an acts old she kind of matches with youthful (ish)Cummings.

Dorothy Malone doesn't have much to do but I liked her and she's sweet shimmying along to 'Tell It to the Moon'.

Don Sharp Top Ten

 1) Kiss of the Vampire (1963) - terrific Vampire horror

2) The Devil Ship Pirates (1964) - great Hammer swashbuckler

3) Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966) - cut about but still fun with Chris Lee having a high old time

4) Psychomania (1973) - silly biker fun

5) The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) - spanks along

6) Our Man in Marrakesh (1966) - surprisingly fun spy thriller

7) Witchcraft (1964) - cheapie Bob Lippert film which is a lot of fun

8) Hennessy (1975) - skilled, fast-paced IRA thriller

9) The Four Feathers (1978) - odd to see Beau Bridges but this is a pretty good version of the story

10) What Waits Below (1985) - no one talks about this but I've always liked it despite some silly effects

Movie review - "Circus of Horror" (1960) ***1/2 (rewatching)

 I remember this as a child - it's sense of danger, mystery, sexy women, death, circus fun. Liked this more than my 2014 viewing. The atmosphere, the nuttiness of the concept (surgeon hides out by owning circus), the women, the sense of death, the style of Anton Diffring, the sleaziness of juvenile lead who is investigating and leches over women.

Movie review - "Dirty O'Neill" (1974) **

 Kind of the American Alvin Purple about a man irresistible to women - only he's played by Morgan Paull who is a good looking guy (he's the investigator shot at the beginning of  Blade Runner), and he's a cop, a former Vietnam vet in a small town who everyone wants to have sex with: the girls he coaches, random women on the street, waitresses. Many are played by familiar faces from 70s exploitation: Pat Anderson (the main girl, she looks uncomfortable getting nude at the end), Anitra Ford, Tara Strohmeiher.

The last act turns into an action film, quite well, when some toughs come into town. But the mix of tones is uneasy.  A comedy guy from Police Academy 2 is his mate.

Still the sheer unrelenting male fantasy-ness of it all, the gall, get some points. Co directed by Lewis Teague - I'm not sure how much he did.

Movie review - "Slaughter" (1972) ***

 Jim Brown had made a bunch of movies before this but this feels like his first blaxploitation one - with its black hero hero ex Vietnam vet kicking racist white arse and bedding a white woman. I mean he did that things in earlier movies but this one feels like the first to address the formula, if that makes sense.

It doesn't stuff around - the opening scene has Brown's dad killed and Junior is soon kicking arse and smacking people around. There's an above average support cast - Cameron Mitchell as the cranky racist agency head, Stella Stevens (showing all and sundry) as the mafia gal who falls for him and most of all Rip Torn as the trigger-happy mafia dude. I love the banter between Brown and off sider Don Gordon, and support Mafia actors are strong. Location photography in Mexico is visually interesting.

Lots of action. Brown looks better with a moustache.

Movie review - "Truck Turner" (1974) ***

 Nothing to do with Trucks - Isaac Hayes is a bail bondsman constantly coming up against racist white idiots and smacking them around which is satisfactory for me as a white viewer so must've worked wonders for the black audience.

There is too much misogyny - yes, I know it's blaxploitation but Truck is always smacking them around, calling them bitch.

On the bright side Yaphet Kotto is a superb antagonist, Nichelle Nichols is great fun as a bitter madam, the acting is strong, Hayes has this great low key big dick energy. The movie ambles rather than roars but it does have emotional power. Jonathan Kaplan directs with some flair.

Larry Gordon was an excellent production chief for AIP.